Friday, October 29, 2010

Weird Science!

In additional to the new martial classes, Warriors of the Red Planet provides GMs with two alternatives to the tradional Cleric and Wizard for their Mars/Venus/Center-of-the-Earth/etc campaigns: the mind-bending Mentalist, and the Scientist: master of inventions and gadgets of wonder and terror. This week you get a sneak peek at the early play-test versions of just a few of the Scientist's wide array of potential accoutrements.

Nightray LensesScience, 3rd LevelRange: 40 ftDuration: 24 hoursCharge: 1/dayWhen activated by manipulating a small dial behind the left eyepiece, these midnight-blue, wire-frame lenses allow the wearer to see in total darkness for 24 hours.

Death RayScience, 6th LevelRange: 240 ftDuration: InstananeousCharge: 1/dayThis outlandish looking contraption looks like a multi-barreled Irradium Pistol covered in tubes and wires. When activated, the 60’ cone of sickly-green energy waves can kill up to 2d8 creatures of 6HD or less.

Lightning ThrowerScience, 3rd LevelRange: up to 240 ftDuration: InstantaneousCharge: 1/dayThis rod-mounted, wire-and-crystal sphere emits a bolt of lighting almost ten feet wide, up to 240’. Anyone in its path suffers 1d6 points of damage per level of the Scientist (half with a successful saving throw). The bolt always extends a minimum of 60 ft, even if this means that it ricochets backward from something that blocks its path.

RaygunScience, 1st LevelRange: 150 ftDuration: ImmediateCharge: 5/dayThe standard sidearm of the well-equipped scientist, this pistol-like item emits a purplish ray of energy that unerringly strikes its target for 1d6+1 points of damage. At 5th level, the ray causes 2d6+2 points of damage, and at 9th it causes 3d6+3.

Invisibility Generator, PersonalScience, 2th LevelRange: PersonalDuration: Until wearer is hit or attacks someone else.Charge: 2/dayThis mountable gadget-box, covered in small brass dials, causes light to bend around a person or a thing, rendering it invisible. If the Referee is using the invisibility rules unchanged, the result is that an invisible creature cannot be attacked unless its approximate location is known, and all attacks are made at -4 to hit. If the invisible creature makes an attack, the effect is ended. Otherwise, it lasts until the gadget is turned off by the Scientist.

Disease AntimogrifierScience, 3rd LevelRange: TouchDuration: ImmediateCharge: 3/dayThis small box of tubes and glass bulbs comes with a hose-attached syringe. If used to withdraw a sample of a diseased individual’s blood, it generates a colored capsule. Taking the capsule cures the diseased individual of their ailment.

6 comments:

Would it be letting the cat out of the bag to describe what "Charges" are? Uses per day?

Also, will you have any guidelines for other classes using 'Scientific' gear - perhaps with penalty? Or will each class be strictly defined/limited by their class abilities with no overlap? (No multi-classing, per se).